Positive Childhood Experiences as Resilience Mechanisms Against Adverse Childhood Experiences for Adult and Intergenerational Health

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Recent research and public health efforts have emphasized the role of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) in counteracting the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on lifespan and intergenerational maladjustment. Indeed, the CDC is currently working towards disseminating uniform definitions and assessment of PCEs in conjunction with efforts to prevent ACEs in children. This symposium will feature three novel, innovative studies on the long-term effects of PCEs over and above ACEs with implications for resilience in adulthood and across generations.

The first paper provides evidence that PCEs buffer against the effects of ACEs on young adulthood mental health problems. This study emphasizes that identifying resilience mechanisms in childhood may protect against long-term maladjustment into adulthood. The second paper examines how PCEs are associated with less negative prenatal attributions, suggesting caregivers’ PCEs may provide a foundation for stronger emotional investment in their own children. The third paper is a replication and extension study of the original study on benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) as a counterpart to ACEs. This study shows that higher levels of BCEs predict better mental health during pregnancy and that BCEs and contemporaneous social support together predict postpartum wellbeing in minoritized, marginalized mothers.

The proposed discussant is the developer of the widely-used BCEs scale and a member of the CDC Subject Matter Expert panels on uniform definitions and assessment of ACEs and PCEs. This symposium will provide evidence for long-lasting effects of PCEs into adulthood, pregnancy, and early parenthood with implications for research, practice, and policy concerning intergenerational health.

Sub Unit

• Family Context & Processes

Chair

• Deborah Han, University of Denver

Discussant

• Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver

Individual Presentations

• Childhood Adversity and Mental Health Outcomes: The Buffering Effect of Preventative and Compensatory Childhood Experiences - Presenting Author: Jens E Jespersen, Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences; Jennifer Hays-Grudo, Center for Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University; Amanda Sheffield Morris, Oklahoma State University - Tulsa; Erin Ratliff, Oklahoma State University - Tulsa; Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater

• Effects of Childhood Maltreatment and Benevolent Experiences on Pregnant Peoples' Mental Representations about Future Children - Presenting Author: Lauren Bailes, Vanderbilt University; Kathryn L. Humphreys, Vanderbilt University

• A Replication Study of the Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) Scale in Minoritized, Marginalized Pregnant Individuals - Presenting Author: Jillian Merrick, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver